Wild Bill Wilder

Nicely done Risc! I assume by the Ardennes Operation you re referring to Team Desobry, correct? Those two are my babies and its nice to see they are in good hands. I'm glad they enhanced your gaming experience. You did quite well. Congratulations! ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Thanks, Lurker! I did in testing it, but then I knew quite a bit about the scenario before I started so that is not quite fair. I haven't played it in a few months and have forgotten some of the details. I think I'll try again as the Germans and see how I do. And the idea of grunt eye-level is pretty appealing too. It will be tempting to lift the view, but I'll fight it ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

I look forward to seeing your handiwork, Pathfinder!... ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Try this Paul. Open the scenario in the editor and set German fanaticism (in the Parameter section) to 50%. Then save it in your scenario directory as Fear in the Fog01.cmb. That should bring them on the run... ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Its a tougher game as the US. The AI seems a little slow as the Germans,Scott. I like your other recommendations... ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

They are coming Londoner! Promise. I have a couple that will raise your cockles and curl your toenails. Not for the Faint of heart, I promise you!... Four toughies on the Way: Relieving the Rangers - Zerf A Second Job - Vossenack The Wrong Hill - South of St Aignan Meyer's Wrath - (Sounds ominous?) I won't let you down, I promise, not with this top notch team of testers helping me! These guys don't play! ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Do you have the full game yet, DogCow? You speak of the demo. When you get the game and the manual and the tutorial and you have played a few of the smaller scenarios, you will get a feel for it. You can win. Its a learning process. When I came on the beta team 15 months ago, I was lost like you. Believe me, I was. And it was the Alpha version of the game. But I've come to learn it, actually win and enjoy myself win or lose. I share your frustration. I feel confident, however, once you have the game and the excellent manual, you will make some real progress. ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Well Pathfinder, I see you've been there and done that... With a name like yours, I'm sure you had no problem, well nothing you can't handle ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

I hope you do, fellas. It is not a study in depth of strategy and arms, just a race into enemy territory and back out. It can be fun if you play it in that way. I like a quickie now and then, don't you ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Oh no! No,no,no! ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Not gamey at all, Thomas. You want to get to Bastogne. You tried the flanks, the enemy was not ready, you penetrated the line. That is military tactics as they should be. Perhaps objective flags would have been a solution. Of course even the scenario designer is helpless here after the 1st battle. He must trust that the AI will put units where they should be. ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Here is another, the Elsdorf Scenario has snow. There are quite a few... ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Hey 2ndtoNone, check out Midnight Madness at Prum. It is one of my scenarios that portrays one US infantry unit being relieved by another on the front line in the middle of a cold, miserable snowy night when the Germans launch an surprise night attack. This battle actually did take place near Prum during WW2. It is on the Rugged Defense CM Site http://home.wanadoo.nl/edwin.vos/cm/cm.htm Or try the Desobry operation. You'll probably go from green to snow, in fact, I'm sure you will. And there are others. How about fog? Try Fear in the Fog. That's a spooky one... ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Monkey Butt? Really? Monkey Butt? I love this website. I love it just for the names if nothing else. I can't type anymore, I'm laughing too hard... Its a nice name, Monkeybutt. Really, it is! ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Hakko, may I join you in this celebratory congratulations to our brothers in arms in France. Congratulations! Vive la France! ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Tell the tankers and APC commanders in Vietnam who did their daily "mad minute" in the morning or late in the evening when all guns opened fire from their wagon wheel defensive positions and raked everything outside their perimeter. To see limbs, branches, whole trees disintegrate under .50 caliber, canister and automatic weapons fire is a sight to behold. The sound would deafening and I'm sure quite unnerving if you were hiding in the bush with a RPG waiting for shot And it often got results one way or the other ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

My solution. The AT gunner was firing through a window on both sides of the house. The Sherman kept missing the window. "Sarge, I can't hit it. The house is in the way!" "No problem. Just blow up the house!" More ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Stefan, check out Midnight Madness at Prum. It is one of my scenarios that portrays one US infantry unit being relieved by another on the front line in the middle of a cold, miserable snowy night when the Germans launch an surprise night attack. This battle actually did take place near Prum during WW2. It is on the Rugged Defense CM Site http://home.wanadoo.nl/edwin.vos/cm/cm.htm Here is the background so you'll have an idea of what it portrays. Read it over. While not exactly what you are mentioning, it might work till I can get one done like that. And there is another one similar in the works right now. Not sure where it will end up but I'll let you know. BACKGROUND OF SCENARIO Title: Midnight Madness at Prüm Type: German attack vs US Army Defend Date: February 6th, 1945 Location: Prum, Germany Weather: snow Terrain: Light snow Turns: 25 Author: Wild Bill Wilder Wild Bill's Raiders Scenario Description: By early February 1945, most of the Allied forces had penetrated into Germany and were approaching the Rhine River. During that time another "hold in place" order came down from SHAEF. The miserable winter had turned most highways and roads into either quagmires or skating rinks. The advantage of Allied mobility was lost to the ravages of the Western European winter. In Third Army's sector of action, it was the same. Even General Patton reluctantly agreed to a temporary halt in the action. During the struggle to get to Prüm, a key location in the German West Wall defenses in southern Germany, there had been a lot of hard fighting. The severity of the winter weather required extra effort and occasional reliefs to front line troops for a day or two. Such was the case in the early morning hours of February 6th. Arriving at about 4:00 AM, 2nd Battalion of the 90th Division's 358th Regiment was to begin relieving units of the 3rd Battalion, 22nd Regiment, 4th Infantry Division at Brandescheid. It was a memorably miserable night; cold, black, with hard falling half sleet, half snow. The men making the relief had walked four hours in this downpour and were tired and soaked to the skin. As the weary units shifted, little attention was given to keeping the defensive positions on their toes. They became careless. It was at that moment that the Germans struck from the south. German Volksgrenadiers and engineers from the 326th Volks Grenadier Division, backed by a few pieces of armor from the tanks of the Panzer Jager battalion of the 2nd Panzer Division, suddenly attacked out of the darkness. ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Beauty indeed is in the eye of the beholder. I wish Mark would get some glasses.... ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Warriors All! In the midst of all this carnage called CM, I have prepared a small, somewhat simple scenario called, "Periers, Roaring to the Rescue!" This is not an overly complicated battle that will take hours to finish. Rather it is a fun scenario, something to try between washing your hands for supper and sitting down at the table. ("I'll be there in just a minute dear, checking my E-Mail!" ) You are Ernst Barkmann, another German tank ace. Your commander has heard of a few German wounded being held prisoner right behind US front lines. He tells you simply to borrow another Panther (yours is being repaired) and to go break the US line, grab the wounded and bring them back. Simple thing to do...or is it? It is based on an actual rescue effected by Barkmann. It may be just too easy, but then it might not . If you'd like to try it, head on over to Madmatt's hangout http://combathq.thegamers.net, go to the CM Scenario Depot and grab it for a fun quick play. While you're in the neighborhood, stop next door at Wild Bill's Raiders "Boots N' Tracks" section and see what we have going on with good old Combat Mission. http://wbr.thegamers.net Once there, click on Boots N' Tracks and just us out if you've a mind to. Rescue those guys. Bring 'em out...and yourself too ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Warriors All! In the midst of all this carnage called CM, I have prepared a small, somewhat simple scenario called, "Periers, Roaring to the Rescue!" This is not an overly complicated battle that will take hours to finish. Rather it is a fun scenario, something to try between washing your hands for supper and sitting down at the table. ("I'll be there in just a minute dear, checking my E-Mail!" ) You are Ernst Barkmann, another German tank ace. Your commander has heard of a few German wounded being held prisoner right behind US front lines. He tells you simply to borrow another Panther (yours is being repaired) and to go break the US line, grab the wounded and bring them back. Simple thing to do...or is it? It is based on an actual rescue effected by Barkmann. It may be just too easy, but then it might not . If you'd like to try it, head on over to Madmatt's hangout http://combathq.thegamers.net, go to the CM Scenario Depot and grab it for a fun quick play. While you're in the neighborhood, stop next door at Wild Bill's Raiders "Boots N' Tracks" section and see what we have going on with good old Combat Mission. http://wbr.thegamers.net Once there, click on Boots N' Tracks and just us out if you've a mind to. Rescue those guys. Bring 'em out...and yourself too ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

The dilemma of the commander. You get points for exiting, but is it worth it? Do you deplete your forces by exiting, or do you hold your ground and keep the flags for yourself? Hard choices, and a gamble either way. ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Don't forget to give us a visit please. http://wbr.thegamers.net Then go to Boots N' Tracks section. We'll have another new page with some new scenarios and other CM goodies shortly ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

As to your third question, my reply is that they should be eligible. I've never had that experience that I remember, but it seems logical that they would. They are still a part of your force. ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com

Good advice, all. This is the best workable strategy. My AT Gun I took to the village to the left, positioned it near the houses for cover and set up an ambush site. The bulk of my infantry I also sent to the left to flank the Germans. The ridge is the key as you have mentioned. It draws attention away from your flanking move, which in turn cuts off the possible German advance in that direction. No matter what you do, you will take losses, and heavy ones. But that is where the fun comes in ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com